Kino no Tabi: The Country of the Sun
by SirLucian
Summary: Kino no Tabi [Kino's Journey] The rays of the sun are never any more special to another place other than this country filled with smiles. What secrets await Kino and her motorrad, Hermes, as they venture upon the said country?
1. Day 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kino no Tabi or any of its characters. Please keep in mind that this is a fanfiction that is unofficial and is solely based upon the imagination of its writer.

"So where are we going now, Kino?"

"I don't know, where the road leads us, perhaps?" replied the other.

And the journey continued once more until destiny took its course and leads the pair to a fork in the road. Both roads seem to have a lot of differences, causing the individuals to make a decision once more.

"I guess the country on the left has a tower. It seems interesting enough. Why not go there?" said the female traveler after a sigh.

"Whatever you say, Kino"

"So let's get going, shall we, Hermes?"

And so the two stopped talking and took off to their desired path. It was definitely a hot day but it's no surprise since the sun is still up and as they continued, they seemed to be closer and closer to it. This went on until the partners reached high walls and gates. There, a man in uniform approached them.

"Welcome to the country of the sun, travelers. To be honest, I'm quite surprised. There haven't been many travelers here nowadays. Maybe they had gone _there _instead", said the man.

"There?"

"Oh, it's nothing. So how long will you be staying here?"

"Three days and two ni-"

"So that would be three days then. Please enjoy your stay", said the man before the two exchanged farewells.

At an instant, the gates opened, showing the enormous city within. It was much of a sight. The rays from the sun caressed the buildings, giving them a creamy yellowish color. The clear bay ahead has a wide horizon, making it the ideal place to watch the sunset. Everyone was busy doing their work, with the majority filling the fields, harvesting crops.

"Kino, why do a lot of people here go to harvest?" mumbled Hermes.

"I don't know. Why not ask them?" said Kino in reply.

Before they had a chance to ask, a man possibly in his 20's came from behind to answer them.

"Winter is coming soon and our people will not be able to survive then without enough food supply."

"Oh… Then why aren't you?"

"I've already done food gathering on my behalf yesterday. My other business involves selling flowers. I guess there's not much to food to gather there, right?" said the man with a smile.

The other giggled.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Haru."

"I'm Kino and this is my motorrad, Hermes", replied Kino.

"I see that you're new here. Mind me showing you around?"

"No. No. I'd be happy too."

Together, the three walked along the road. Kino was amazed at how beautiful the country was. The air was warm; the sea was clear. The list could go on and on. The traveler just can't help but think of how the country she's at right now compares to the others she had seen. When she went back to reality, she saw Haru pause for a moment.

"It's nearing dusk already. Let this field be our last stop today."

"Ok."

"The sunflowers… they're just beautiful aren't they, Kino?"

"Of course they are."

A long moment of pause followed, only to be broken by the younger person.

"You surely love this country. Do you, Haru?"

"_Of course, I do."_

With that, the two parted ways for the day. Immediately, Kino went to a hotel to sleep. There was not much to see there at night, anyways. Everyone's already asleep and there's no one in sight in the streets.

Feeling the cold breeze brushing her cheeks, Kino said, "You know, Hermes? The moon is such a wonderful sight even in here."

"Now that you mention it, it sure is", mentioned Hermes.

"_Do you think if people here have ever seen it?"_

"Let's sleep now, Hermes. I'm so drained…" said Kino before making a long yawn.

- End of Chapter 1 -

A/N: This is my first fic. I'm soooo nervous about this. When Kino no Tabi is mentioned, several thoughts come to mind. This is one of them. What is the connection of the country of the sun to the other country? Why are they behaving like that at nighttime? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out. XD

Hopefully, there will be a whole new section solely for Kino no Tabi in the near future. Please rate and review. Comments are appreciated.


	2. Day 2

A magnificent show of lights struck the plains of what seemed to be the most beautiful country as the moon and the sun played hide and seek once again. It's a pity no one was apparently looking up as everybody was busy harvesting... This was the view of the young traveler as she opened the curtains of her room that day.

As she prepared her wardrobe and ate her breakfast, Kino wondered how she felt this comfortable in a place had just been in. All o a sudden, her newly groomed acquaintance interrupted her moment of silence.

"Why are you looking so gloomy, Kino?" said he. "You know, this country is all about being happy and keeping on a smile..." Haru added. After that, he sat down in front of Kino and leaned onto his chair as if it was a pile of puffy clouds.

The young traveler couldn't believe the sight e was seeing. While she slowly put down the cup tea she was sipping, for a moment there, she smiled as she saw the rays of the sun embracing the young man.

After which, the group strolled around he city, with him leading the way since the latter and her motorrad lagged behind. They continued their little journey the day before and went to places all three of them have never ventured before.

"Kino, where are we going after we end our stay here?" asked the motorrad to he master.

"I don't know... Haru, what do you think?"

"_Well it's up to you."_

"..."

Minutes passed by before they talked again, this time, the resident started the conversation.

"Kino? I'm sorry; I couldn't tour you around here tomorrow. You see, I have something else to do."

"Ok then. Do you mind telling us what it is?"

Right there, at that moment, he stopped walking. Right there, he muttered, "Um... did you notice everybody always staying in the fields these days?" After he saw the latter nod her head, he continued. "Our sun god is angry at us at this moment. That is why everybody is stocking up their food supply, in case He dries up all the plants here."

As the other continued, Kino learned more things about the country than she'd ever imagined. Every night, they conduct a ritual, one of them has to climb the tower and offer his life to their god. If they don't the sun god will punish them all.

"Kino, I've decided. I'm going to be the one who'll have to sacrifice tonight. I have to do this... for my country."

"But that is ridiculous" replied the motorrad. "Your god couldn't possibly ask for such thing."

"The_ other _country is doing it too. It's the way of life" said the boy, finally sounding like the man he is, walking away from the two. "Goodbye..."

And then the clock ticked faster than it had before. Night has come so quickly and already, the young girl and her motorrad are already driving off.

"Kino look!"

Everyone was dressed in cloaks, all of them facing the ground as they marched toward the tower in the center of the country.

"Haru's probably there right now" the motorrad said.

"Hermes, let's head to a different direction."

"Kino, sunflowers face the sun right? Now that it's nighttime, _where do you think are they facing_?"

"..."

- End of Chapter 2 -

A/N: Sooooooooo... I'm sorry for those out there who waited for an update. Hopefully, it was worth the wait. XD

Writing is so hard. I'll try to find time to write this and the last chapter is on the process of being thought of. It won't take long... I think.


	3. Day 3

Willing to admit or not, the young traveler had a lot of thoughts as she went by the same path she took about two days ago... Her companion, obviously trying to maintain the silence, managed to do so as the path became more familiar, whereas the blades of grass do not.

There was something _different_, the angle, the perspective, the color- Oh! The motorrad finally settled with _color _as the night sky drowned everything in blue. But yes... the positions have also changed... and come to think of it, the grass would still have a different color since they were in the opposite direction... ahhhh!!!

Poor motorrad...

Hermes decided on a less thought provoking task, counting the times that Kino sighed or the number of times Kino held him tighter until they eventually found themselves on the same place they started before.

"So to the Country of the Moon we should go then," said the traveler.

And Hermes prepared himself for a long ride.

--

7 sighs later, the couple reached the open gates of the unfamiliar country, as if they weren't closed since they were built.

Kino saw lights, lit just enough not to be blinding and smelled a distinct aroma of roast chicken seasoned with oriental spices. Indeed, the young traveler was at awe.

"Hello, stranger and welcome to the Country of the Moon. We are currently having our nightly festival. Please don't be shy to partake in our activities. Here, grab a plate", said by an old man who appeared to be the town's representative for tourists; they must have so many.

As the traveler gave his thanks, he chatted with the old man. Together, they talked about life and recent occurrences, with the former mentioning the country she had previously been to. She talked about the odd way the citizens behaved during the night... and the morally questionable sacrifices they make just to please their God.

"What country are you referring to?" replied the old man.

"The Country of the Sun. They seem to be competing with yours."

The resident claimed that he did not know of any country but did not deny noticing the tall tower they had. He said, "A long time ago, people from our country saw a tower being built nearby. We tried to make ours but unfortunately, we can't seem to build one laughs so we just dropped the project."

"What about human sacrifices?" Hermes said.

"Huh? What sacrifices?"

Then the country became as quiet as the night...

--

"Maybe we _have_ been overlooking the demands of Moon God lately?"

"Should one of us volunteer on dying for Her?"

"How about just offering two cows instead?"

"..."

And they made a decision. The mayor announced to the strangers, "In two minutes, we are going to sacrifice one child for our Great Deity!"

Before they knew it, an altar was made with the tables originally meant for eating. And the chairs? They were placed on the side... since this _is_ supposed to be an important event and people _do _want to see what's going to happen exactly.

The mayor sharpened his knife, raised it to the willing child and chanted. He swung his knife at moderate speed... and stopped.

"I can't do it"

Almost facing death, the child said responded. "I think that I don't want to die too."

"Okay. Let's just eat" the crowd agreed and in no time, they ate once again.

"..."

"What a weird country, Kino" said Hermes.

"Let's just eat..."

--The end--

A/N Wow. They added a new category dedicated to Kino no Tabi fanfiction. After seeing it, I quickly wrote this. Hahaha. Actually, I thought about how this country should behave about a year ago. People try to compete with others and sometimes, it has its benefits. However, maybe it is better to only realize what you _really_ want to do, even if others behave a different way.

Thanks for reading and sorry to keep you waiting.


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